Garnet is an abandoned mining town in Granite County, Montana. The town was established in the 1890s when gold was discovered and miners flocked the region. For decades, the town has been deserted and left to decay. Garnet town is currently a tourist attraction site attracting thousands of tourists every year.

The rise of an Era

Garnet town was formerly called Mitchell after a local Armistead Mitchell who built a stamp mill in the town. Despite its rich mines, the town also had low crime rates. This drew people from the neighboring towns who were seeking greener pastures to relocate to Garnet. Over a very short period, Mitchell had a population of over 9000 with commercial and residential buildings including a school that had a capacity of holding 50 students. 

Its name was later changed to Garnet (a stone that most buildings in the area were built with). The name was changed from Mitchell to Garnet when they introduced the town’s post office. The name had to be changed since the name Mitchell was used by many towns which brought confusion. A railroad came to the town shortly after the post office was introduced.

Death of the town

Garnet was one of those towns that depended on one economic activity which was mining. Over the years the numerous mines in the area were declared exhausted and the ones that were remaining were too expensive to mine. A fire outbreak in 1912 destroyed most of the town’s structures that were never rebuilt due to the tough economic times. 

The town of Garnet rapidly began losing its residents and those who remained were dependent on supplies from neighboring communities like Bearmouth. By 1925 it had a population of 100 people and was officially declared a ghost town in 1940.

What remains of Garnet?

Garnet architectural structures are still standing in shambles. Cabins that were mainly made of wood have been destroyed by water in an unsalvageable state. Some of the buildings made of garnet like the salons still stand strong till today. Garnet town is currently under the management of the Bureau of land management having been declared a historic district in 2010. 

Garnet town is open to the general public to visit. Tours are offered by the current management as they strive to collect more funds that would help in the preservation of the town. Annual celebrations are usually held at Garnet every third Saturday of the year. Most of the mines in the area used dynamites and other explosives in the mining process. The empty lying mines together with the toxic chemical remains of the explosives used in mining are things to watch out for while visiting the old town.